Jason McAteer says Sunderland go into the new season this weekend with a new-look side aiming to make a fresh start in Division One.

Jason McAteer says Sunderland go into the new season this weekend with a new-look side aiming to make a fresh start in Division One.

The Black Cats kick-off their promotion bid at Nottingham Forest on Saturday and the team that Mick McCarthy names at the City Ground is likely to bear little resemblance to the one that was relegated from the Premiership in disastrous circumstances last season.

With established first-teamers such as Gavin McCann and Jody Craddock already leaving the club, and with Kevin Phillips and Thomas Sorensen expected to follow later this month, gone will be many of the big name players, while McCarthy has also deemed several squad members surplus to requirements and they will also find themselves sidelined.

But there will also be some new faces following the signings of midfielder Jeff Whitley and defender Gary Breen.

McAteer, who also played under McCarthy for the Republic of Ireland, is expected to wear the captain's armband at Forest and he is looking forward to being part of a side starting over.

He said: "People have got to realise that the Sunderland Football Club of this season is not the same as the one of last season and the season before and the season before that.

"The squad is changing. More young players are becoming involved and something like seven players from last season - international players - are not in the picture.

"It's going to be a young and inexperienced team in the main, so people will need to give us a bit of time and patience."

McAteer says McCarthy's job has been made more difficult by having to sell established players for financial reasons, when they would undoubtedly have been key figures in a promotion campaign had they stayed.

He said: "Relegation is one of those things that happens to clubs. You always think that it won't happen to your club, but last season it did and so we have to deal with it.

"The disappointing thing for the lads is that, when you look around at the Leicesters and the Ipswiches and see that they held on to a lot of their older guard - the likes of Muzzy Izzet, Matt Elliott, Matt Holland, and Herman Hreidarsson - they were able to play alongside the kids and help their club challenge for promotion.

"Unfortunately for Mick McCarthy, he hasn't had the opportunity to keep the likes of Jody Craddock, Gavin McCann and Thomas Sorensen and that has made his job all the more difficult.

"But I've known Mick McCarthy for a lot of years and I have never known him have an easy ride with anything.

"When he took over as the Ireland boss he had jump over big hurdles with the media and he had to change the team round because a lot of the players were ageing."

Meanwhile, Kevin Kilbane is the latest player who could be ready to leave Wearside after the Republic of Ireland winger turned down an extension to his contract.

Kilbane, who has attracted interest from Everton over the summer, is now in the final year of his contract at the Stadium of Light and he turned down the offer of a further year on slightly improved terms.